Malfunction
by Rhea Chryseis
Summary: Fate is unkind to those who oppose it. Not all of the heroic SeeDs are able to make it back from Ultimecia's relm to their own time. A long road awaits the lost...
1. Falling

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A/N: Agh I never know what to say in the first author notes of a story ^_^;. I hope you enjoy the story. Reviews would be greatly appreciated. Also, I've tweaked the ending of the game a bit to fit the plot line.

Caution this contains spoilers for those who have not finished the game!

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Disclaimer: I don't claim any rights to Final Fantasy 8, its characters, or any of the locations of it. 

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))) Malfunction (((

Ch.1: Falling

The strange dimension Ultimecia had brought them to was quickly growing brighter. "Reflect on your…childhood," the Sorceress said. "Your sensations… your words… your emotions…" She took a deep, ragged breath. 

Squall glanced at his team. They weren't in great shape. He knew that if Ultimecia transformed again, they wouldn't stand a chance. The last transformation had almost killed Zell and Selphie. Quistis and Irvine were on either side of him, in fairly decent shape. However, Irvine had long run out of ammo and both Squall and Quistis were running low on magic reserves. Behind him, Rinoa was reviving Zell and Selphie. 

"Time…it will not wait… No matter…" Ultimecia stumbled slightly, "…how hard you hold on. It escapes you…" She managed to hold her head up, looking straight at Quistis. Her eerie golden eyes seemed to see straight through to the former instructor's mind, piercing her thoughts. Quistis stumbled backwards, desperately trying to catch her breath. It felt like someone had hit her in the stomach with a block of cement. "And…" The light finally overtook the area, blinding everyone and stopping Ultimecia in mid-sentence.

As fast as the light had come, it disappeared and everything was covered in inky darkness. 

Quistis felt herself falling. Desperately, she reached out for anything to help her stop the fall but found nothing. Around her, rushed whispers filled the air. Quistis closed her eyes and thought about the flower field and her friends. She thought about how much she wanted to see everyone again and her home at Balamb Garden. _Please take me back there, please._ The air rushing past her began to grow warmer and blue sky appeared above her. 

Her fall stopped suddenly as she plunged into icy water. _Water?_ Quickly, she swam to the surface, gasping for air. Once she had managed to compose herself, she looked around, constantly moving her arms and legs to stay afloat in the chilly water. She saw a coastline off to the west, but all she could see in the other directions was water for miles and miles. _Where am I? This is definitely _not_ the flower field… what went wrong? Where are the others?_

From the corner of her eye, she noticed her whip bobbing up and down. Quistis reached out for it with one arm and tied it around her waist so she wouldn't lose it. Mentally, she checked what magic she had left. There wasn't much, only a couple Fires, two Blizzagas, and a single Ultima. 

__

If I can swim far enough towards that coast, then maybe the tide can bring me in. She was glad she had taken the swimming course Balamb Garden offered during the summer since she first arrived at the academy. 

She had been swimming for around six minutes or so when something struck her in the side. Startled, Quistis stopped. Something was moving around her in the water. The movement stopped suddenly. A large aquatic dragon raised its head and let out a growl. It reminded her of a Ruby Dragon, but clad in scales of pale bluish green instead of red. 

A well-placed Fire spell between the dragon's eyes gave Quistis a chance to widen the space between the dragon and herself. It recovered quickly and lunged at her, smacking into her arm. She winced in pain. She didn't have the distance, or the strength for that matter, needed to use her whip effectively, so she would have to depend on the small amount of magic she had left. 

Within a matter of minutes her Fire spells were gone. Both Blizzagas had barely scratched the creature and only served to aggravate it even more. Finally, Quistis had the perfect shot for the Ultima spell. Green light surrounded the dragon along with a high pitched sound. It froze and sunk under the waves. But the creature wasn't down for the count yet. Quistis felt its tail slap against her body, tossing her to the right. The dragon surfaced again and charged. 

__

No, I can't die here. I have to get back to my friends, to Garden. No, I can't, I won't. Her blood was hot as it coursed through her veins. The dragon stopped in mid-charge. It raised its head to the sky, letting out a pained roar. Blood flowed from the monster's mouth and it collapsed into the ocean. Quistis weakly watched it sink down below, confused at just what had happened.

"Hey! Hey there! Are you okay?" A voice yelled.

A boat approached 100 feet from where the dragon had been. 'Thank you Hyne, thank you…' Quistis watched it move closer through blurred vision. She hadn't noticed it in the distance earlier because she was preoccupied with the dragon. She figured they had killed it somehow. She certainly hadn't done anything she was aware of. 

Strong arms hoisted her out of the water. "What happened?" a voice asked, "Why are you out in the middle of the ocean?" Faces seemed distorted and she couldn't make out who was talking to her. "You know her?" The question was directed to another person.

Consciousness began to escape her. She was so tired. "Quistis. Hey, Quistis can you hear me?" She smiled faintly. Someone was leaning over her blocking out the sun. Was she back with her friends? She wasn't sure, but that small bit of hope gave her comfort as blackness enshrouded her mind.

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The first thing Quistis noticed when she came back around was the ceiling. Colored spots floated on the wooden boards above her. She turned her head to the side on the pillow to see that they were coming from a stained glass window. The window depicted a twirling dancer with flowers climbing towards the sky on either side. 'How pretty,' she thought vaguely, her mind still in a half-awake haze. 

She started to sit up in the bed to get a better look at the room she was in, but a sharp pain halted her. Quistis looked down and saw her arm was in a sling. She had somehow changed into a white sleeveless dress too. 'Odd.' Slower and more cautiously than before, she propped her back up against the bed's headboard. The room she was in had walls of stone and a wooden floor similar to the ceiling. It was a small room and there wasn't much furniture in it. There was a vase of flowers on a small table beside her bed. A chair and bookshelf stood in a corner near the window. There was a doorway to the right of her bed and another across the room. The door across from her opened slowly.

"Ah, Cirande, you are awake finally." A woman in her mid-thirties walked into the room carrying a watering can, smiling warmly. 

"…Where am I?" Quistis asked, wondering why the woman had called her the strange name.

"The hospital in the town of Nolatri, an island off the coast of Centra," the woman replied as she watered the flowers next to Quistis. 

__

Nolatri… Quistis remembered the name vaguely from a history lesson a couple years ago. But that town had to have been destroyed when the Lunar Cry hit Centra eighty years ago. If she was really in that town then… _Oh Hyne! Time compression took me too far back!_

"How… how did I get here?"

"Don't you remember?" The woman asked, frowning slightly. "You were out in the middle of the ocean! Nenharmle and Phoenix found you out there. It was lucky for you they had decided to go out that day, although why they were actually out sailing is a mystery to me. That Phoenix," the woman shook her head and sighed, "She is sneaky and deceitful to say the least so I wouldn't be surprised if she was dragging him into some off the wall thing out there, but I'm getting off topic. They brought you here all battered up. Nenharmle said he knew you and asked me to look after you. Naturally, I agreed. That was about three days ago. You've been out since then."

Quistis shook her head, "I don't know anyone named Nenharmle."

The woman laughed slightly, "Oh I'm so sorry, I forgot. We have a tendency of giving strangers names in the Centran language to help us identify them in daily conversation. Sometimes they just stick with some people, like Nenharmle. His name means scar. He's told me his real name countless times but I can never seem to remember it. Something with an S," she said, waving her hand in the air trying to remember. 

Quistis's eyes widened as she remembered the person that was talking to her on the boat. _Could that have been Squall?_ She shook her head. She'd find out soon enough.

"What does my name mean?" Quistis asked out of curiosity.

"What dear?"

"You called me Cirande, right? What's that name mean?"

The woman pursed her lips, "It's not important. Now that you're awake you can tell me your real name, yes?"

"Uh, yeah I guess. Quistis, Quistis Trepe."

The woman repeated the name several times to herself. "Well then, Quistis. The Lord and Lady would love to meet you at dinner tonight I'm sure. Nenharmle and Phoenix should be there too. Let's get you cleaned up. After all, we can't have you going to dinner in a sleeping gown now can we?" 

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	2. The Bird and the Scar

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A/N: Thanks for the great reviews! I'm glad you guys like it so far. I'll try to get chapters out faster than this, I just had some trouble making myself actually sit down and type this one up :P This chapter is a bit longer than usual but I wanted to get a lot in. So enough with my rambling and on with chapter 2!

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Disclaimer: I don't claim any rights to Final Fantasy 8, its characters, or any of the locations of it. 

Ch.2: The Bird and the Scar

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"Quit acting so friendly.   
Don't nod don't laugh all nicely.   
Don't think you'll up-end me.   
Don't sigh, don't sip your iced-tea.   
And don't say, "It's been a while..."   
And don't flash that stupid smile.  
Don't ask me how I've been.  
…  
Don't sit there and play just   
So frank, so straight, so candid,   
So thoughtful, so gracious,   
So sound, so even-handed.   
Don't be so damn benign   
And don't waste my fucking time.   
Don't ask me how I've been."

-Ok Go 'Don't Ask Me'

"There. I think these should fit quite nicely. You shouldn't have to bother with the sling anymore. However your arm will be fairly weak and a little tender for a couple more days," the nurse said, walking back into Quistis' room from the hallway with several articles of clothing draped over one of her arms. 

Quistis laid the hairbrush she had been using down on the end table. The nurse's clothes had been much too big on her, so the nurse had gone out to find a smaller sized outfit. In the meantime, Quistis had been able to wash her hair thanks to a pitcher of water and a bowl the nurse had brought her. She also had time to look over the injuries she had received more thoroughly. Besides her arm, which she had found out was only sprained, not broken, there was a long gash travelling horizontally across the lower part of her stomach. Gauze bandaging was wrapped around it to keep any infection away.

"They're lovely, thank you," Quistis replied, taking the clothes. The outfit consisted of a full-length skirt, a long-sleeved collared blouse, and a pair of leather sandals. The skirt was navy with white embroidery around the bottom and slits coming up to where her knees would be. The blouse was made of an airy white material. Two parallel rows of small clear buttons fastened up the front of the garment.

"I saw Phoenix when I was out. I let her know you were awake. She said that you could stay at her house now that you're awake and that she'd accompany you to the Lord and Lady's house tonight. I'd be careful if I were you. That woman…" 

__

She really doesn't like her, does she? Quistis' mind began to wander as the nurse rambled about the stranger's faults. 

"Quistis." She looked up. The nurse was giving her a stern, serious look. "If she tries to get you into any trouble, any at all, you better come right back here alright? You seem like too nice of a girl to get mixed up with someone like her. There will always be plenty of room for you here."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"If she has such a bad reputation, how does she know the Lord and Lady?"

"Hmph. She was an orphan most of her childhood, living by stealing. Once she broke into the home of the Lord's older sister. She took pity on the little girl and adopted her and tried to help her find a better life, not that Phoenix was grateful for it. She ran away several years ago and the Lord's sister died while she was gone, from worry and stress no doubt. She cared for Phoenix like a daughter. So as I said before, any trouble and come right back here."

Quistis smiled and nodded, "Alright, thanks."

"I'll be downstairs if you need anything, dear."

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The nurse was right for the most part about the clothes fitting her. The sleeves on the shirt were a little too long, but Quistis remedied that by rolling them up to her elbows. She pinned her hair up with her hair clip. So far that had only been the only thing of hers she could find. _My clothes were probably ruined in the water._

A sudden knock on her door startled her. "Come in," she called.

"Hi," A woman a year or two older than her walked in smiling. Her dark auburn hair stood out against her olive complexion and chocolate eyes. "Nice to finally meet you. Well… we met on the boat but I doubt you remember that. You can call me Phoenix. Your name is Quistis, right?"

"Yes… um, nice to meet you too." Phoenix stood a little more than an inch taller than Quistis, however that was most likely attributed to her boots. The young woman had dark auburn hair and eyes of mahogany. She was dressed in a ruffled sleeveless shirt and a skirt that ended just above her knees.

Phoenix glanced Quistis' attire over. 

"At least the old hag did a good job finding some decent clothes for you. I was afraid she'd stick you in one of those ridiculous frilly things she likes to wear. Your other clothes are at my house." Quistis was slightly relieved; hopefully no one had noticed her whip tied around the waist of her skirt.

"Well, c'mon. Don't want to keep _their highnesses_ waiting. Really, you'd think they owned the empire from the way they act. We can talk on the way."

Phoenix led the way downstairs. The nurse was waiting at the door to see them off. "Is Nenharmle not coming with you?" she asked Phoenix.

"He has some business to take care of in town," she replied.

The nurse nodded curtly. "Good-bye Quistis. I hope you have a lovely time. And remember what I said!" Quistis waved good-bye as Phoenix dragged her out the door. 

"Old wench wouldn't trust me for the life of her," Phoenix muttered.

The streets were bustling with people, carts drawn by horses, and smaller chocobo-drawn carriages. Quistis had never seen horses up close before. If people used anything besides cars, trains, and ships to get around, they usually used chocobos. Merchants were putting out the last few goods of the day. "Quite different from your time, eh?" Phoenix said, grinning. Quistis stopped and stared.

"How did you-"

"He told me. Also, you'd have to be since you guys know each other. Common sense really." They started walking again, going past the various stone buildings. Most of them were two or three stories high with wooden shutters and sometimes a sign here or there to distinguish the houses from the stores. "Be careful what you say tonight at dinner. Lord and Lady Tiale think… well lets just say they don't trust you."

"I wouldn't trust a person found in the middle of the ocean either. It's not exactly something that happens everyday."

Phoenix shook her head. "There are other things involved too. They're probably going to be asking you a lot of questions, being the nosy people they are. So just follow what I say and hopefully things will go smoothly. If they ask where you're from, say Esthar."

"Esthar?"

"Yes it's a country farther north from-"

"No," Quistis shook her head, "I know what it is, but why Esthar?"

"Because that's where they think he's from. And if you two know each other it's only reasonable right?"

"Um, I guess."

"Ah here we are, welcome to Tiale Manor," Phoenix said with a smirk. In front of them rose a lovely brick home. Surrounded by a metal fence with ornate iron working, was a courtyard with flowers blooming along a stone path and tall trees casting their shadows on the green lawn. The large oak doors burst open as they approached the entrance.

"You're late." A girl in her late teens stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. 

"Well Ana, don't you look nice?" Phoenix replied. Her outfit was much fancier than Quistis or Phoenix's. The green dress hid her feet and its neckline dipped precariously.

Ana either missed the sarcasm in the statement or decided not to acknowledge it. "Hurry up and get inside. Eric is already here." She quickly walked off into the house.

"Shit," Phoenix shook her head and looked at the ground.

"What's wrong?" Quistis asked.

"He's not supposed to be here this soon. And of course they wouldn't tell me. I wouldn't have brought you if I knew he was going to be here."

"Who's Eric?"

"Their oldest son. He works for the Centran Empire, more specifically the sorceress."

"Centra is controlled by a sorceress?"

"Yes. Sorceress Estelle."

"Why is he here?"

"You, of course. He is the representative of Nolatri for the Empire," she let out a short breath. "No use in waiting out here." 

Quistis followed Phoenix through the halls of the mansion until they came to a large dining room. The family had already sat down. Lord Tiale sat at the head of the table. To his right sat Lady Tiale. A younger man sat on his left. He had short cut, light brown hair and watched the two women with interest. They all stood up politely. "Good evening ladies," He turned to face Quistis, "My name is Eric Tiale. I'm a representative for the imperial government. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Cirande."

"Her name is Quistis," Phoenix scathed with a caustic glare. They took their seats and servants brought out bowls of soup. 

"How is the weather down in the capital, Eric?" Lady Tiale asked, attempting to break the tense silence that had ensued. 

"Mild compared to other summers. We've also been in somewhat of a drought."

"What a shame. The autumns are never as pretty during droughts. I hope they receive some rain before we visit," Lord Tiale commented. The sound of heavy footsteps in the hallway halted the conversation. A servant opened the door to the dining room for the late guest. Again, everyone stood up, with the exception of Quistis. All she could do was stare in disbelief, holding her spoon limply in her hand. Panic rose up in her chest.

"It's so wonderful you made it, Seifer!" Ana exclaimed, practically hopping with joy. 

"Ana has a crush on him," Phoenix whispered. Quistis barely heard her though. She was too occupied with her own thoughts.

__

Seifer. Nenharmle is Seifer, not Squall. The name describes both of them. He and Squall have almost identical scars, gifts from each other, but I didn't even consider that they were talking about Seifer. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I let wishful thinking get the best of me…I didn't even take into consideration that they were talking about Seifer. 

"Sorry I'm late." Seifer sat down next to Phoenix and across from Quistis, distancing himself from Ana. A servant quickly brought a bowl of soup for him. He looked different from when she last saw him in Lunatic Pandora, and it wasn't just the fact that he wasn't wearing his usually gray trench coat or wielding the Hyperion like an extended limb. He wasn't as tense, and his eyes held the same arrogance they had before he became a knight instead of pure malice. 

He was watching her and it was beginning to make Quistis quite uncomfortable.

"So Seifer, you knew Quistis back in Esthar?" Eric asked casually.

"Yeah, she lived in one of the towns that I visited a lot. Her older brother owned a well-known weapons shop there and helped me out a couple times," Seifer lied.

__

He always did have a talent for lying and making up stories, she thought as she remembered all the excuses he used on the other teachers and staff members for being late, fighting in the halls, etc. He gave up on trying them in her class though. Quistis had known better than to believe some of the wild things he made up.

"What a coincidence… you two both ending up here…" Eric said, not really directed to anyone. "I have to admit, I am a bit curious… how did you end up out in the ocean, Quistis?"

"Pirates!" Phoenix blurted suddenly. 

"Pirates?" Lord Tiale asked.

"Yes, she was kidnapped by pirates," Phoenix replied, calmer than before. Quistis saw Seifer bite his lower lip. He was trying his hardest not to laugh. "Her brother had a deal with them, what it was neither Quistis nor I are sure of, but it involved a payment to them from her brother and he wouldn't pay. So they kidnapped her. After a couple weeks, she managed to break out of her cell during the night and jump off the ship. Rather take your chances in the water than with them, right Quistis?" Phoenix gave her leg a slight nudge under the table.

"Um, right."

Eric smirked as servants took the soup away and brought out the main course. "Were these pirates friends of yours Phoenix?"

"Ha ha, very funny," Phoenix replied, cutting into the food on her plate. 

Small talk resumed as they ate. Ana talked about some dresses she saw downtown. Lady Tiale made some comments about the condition of other family friends. 

Quistis could feel another set of eyes besides Seifer's watching her as she ate. Eric hadn't bought Phoenix's story. 

Everyone had finished after several more minutes. Quistis began to feel dizzy. _I can't take all of this staring. I need to get out of here._ She stood up abruptly. "I'm sorry, I'm feeling rather tired. I guess I still haven't recovered completely. Thank you for the lovely meal."

"Seifer can make sure you get back to the house alright. Right Seifer?" Phoenix volunteered. 

Seifer raised a brow, wondering what Phoenix was thinking. "Sure."

"It was nice meeting you Quistis," Lady Tiale said politely as Quistis left with Seifer trailing behind lazily.

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As Quistis stepped outside, instinct told her to run. After all, the man who had tried to kill her and her friends was escorting her home. Reason, however, reminded her that there was nowhere she could run to; she was on an island in a time before her own.

She heard Seifer laughing quietly behind her. "Pirates… give me a break," he said to himself. He fell in stride with Quistis as they left the courtyard. 

They walked in an uneasy silence for several blocks, Quistis turning whenever he turned. "So, I'm guess you guys won, Instructor?" Seifer finally asked.

"Yeah, more or less," she replied bitterly. She was mad at him for being here, although she knew it wasn't really his fault. She figured he wasn't going to kill her. If he wanted to do that, she knew he would've already done so.

"Bravo," He clapped his hands several times. 

"Seifer, why are you here?" she asked irritated by his sarcasm.

"Same reason you are. Time compression. I got stuck in it back in Lunatic Pandora when you guys killed Adel and ended up here. I've been here a month longer than you have though. Who would've thought the perfect Instructor would get lost in time compression and get stuck over two centuries in the past?"

Quistis stopped, "Wait. Over 200 years?! I thought I only missed it by 80 something years!" A familiar feeling of dread now accompanied her dizziness.

"80? Try 279 years to be exact." He kept walking ahead.

"279? Oh for Hyne's sake!" She walked quickly to catch up to him.

"Keep your voice down, you don't need to be attracting any more attention. Turn here." They turned left onto a smaller street.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Instructor. Don't tell me you didn't think that Eric was just here to see his family." He stopped in front of one of the houses that lined the street and shoved his hand into one of his pockets, looking for the key. 

"No Phoenix told me he was here because of me. But Seifer, how in Hyne's name should I know the exact reason he's here? I've been conscious for a only little over nine hours if you haven't forgotten." She was beginning to get frustrated.

He turned to face her. "Do you know what Cirande means in Centran?" She stared at him blankly. "It means sorceress. They think you're a sorceress, Instructor."

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